My goal through this article is two-prong: I have to admit that I failed miserably at several of my past resolutions and commitments. Several times
Gratitude Mapping: A Way to Compound Thankfulness
It is an excellent tradition that a day itself is dedicated to giving thanks. I love it and I see a whole lot of people
Is the office of elder/overseer currently relevant to the church?
Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains andappoint elders in every city as I
Lord Jesus – Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Have you had occasions where you wondered how you were able to accomplish something for the Lord of utmost value? At the same time, how
Thoughts on Titus II: The Hope of Eternal Life
In Thoughts on Titus I, we explored Paul’s statement, “Paul, bondslave of God and apostle ofJesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God
The Good Shepherd for All Seasons
What are the first and most important things in life that we should acknowledge? Psalm 23: 1 says: The Lord is my shepherd; (Psalm 23:1a)
More Than Two Cents, Part 1
The Gospel of Luke has been described as the most beautiful book ever written. Its theme is “good tidings of great joy, which shall be
Thoughts on Titus 1: First Impressions
If at first you don’t shew yourself just what you are,When you afterwards wish it, your fortune ’twill mar. Don Juan Manuel, El Conde Lucanor
What will you do with God’s love?
About three centuries ago, a gypsy girl became instrumental in a life transformation of an Italian artist Domenico Feti. He already had acclaimed paintings including
A Father’s Example
“Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down thealtar of Baal which belongs to your father… and build an
Follow Jesus Christ
A great multitude of the crowd followed Jesus but their interest was not in things spiritual. Why do you follow Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is
What kind of a man is He?
The centurion knew what kind of a man He was. They were similar. When the centurion told themen at his command to go, they went.
Timely Bread from Above
Some months ago I found myself getting into a possibly desperate situation. To plan a rescue, I started to envision and develop an easy escape
Never Give Up, But How
Never give up… In a life full of failures, temptations, pains, and sufferings how could someone meaningfully say the above words? In order for that,
FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN – Philippians 1:21
Most cultures define who a person is or what he lives for by what that person does – a career or livelihood like doctor, lawyer,
Renew In Knowledge 4 Year Anniversary Bulletin
Renew In Knowledge is now four years! We started with the aim of encouraging and edifying through the publication of articles based on the transforming
Chicken Soup and Christmas
Yesterday evening we got a Texas-sized jar full of Chicken soup. Two third of our family was down with some kind of sickness with high
WHAT TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE POSSIBLE, GOD COULD HAVE DESIGNED (IF HE WANTED TO)
This past year and a bit, Christians discovered a new way of interacting and socializing at the spiritual level, thanks to GoToMeeting, Webex, Zoom, Skype,
My Experience With Tongues- Lee Brainard
As a change of pace, I thought I would share a sliver of my Pentecostal experience — a disturbing incident involving tongues. This is not
An old man and an empty can
I had just turned the corner at the end of the camp this morning when Danilo, my neighbor, came hustling out of his house, waving
Jeanne Lipsi gives a report of Lord’s work in Campinas, Brazil
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
Life of K. Samuel Paul. Coimbatore to Baripada
“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” – Mark Batterson It’s my privilege and joy to have the opportunity to narrate what the
Just Trust Me – Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this …
Sometimes the preaching of the gospel in scripture uses agricultural illustrations to describe the process of conversion. Not everyone who preaches is always a part
Fire Extingushers, Books and Proverbs. The George Verwer transformation
It is our daughter Christa’s birthday and I want to dedicate this chapter to her. One of my many failures in those early days was
Be Good; Do Good; Does it Help?
“It is good to be good.” It is a slogan I heard my not even four-year-old say one day morning. I was impressed. Even a
God works in mysterious ways
Last year, I was discouraged. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, as 2020 would be one of the strangest and most frustrating years most of
Amazing Testimony of God’s Leading and The Story Behind Operation Barnabas
My Story I am delighted to have the opportunity to write about what the Lord has done in my life. I do hope that it
God’s Faithfulness: Not barely, but exactly
“Not barely, but exactly” It was the year of GNOM where the Good News evangelistic team traveled across the country. We faced the possibility of
God’s Timing is the Best and Other Stories of Encouragement
God is faithful and is a gracious Provider. For the past two months, I have been working on collecting a series of stories of God’s
Guacamaya: A Village Rescued from the Waters
In the late autumn of 1998, one of the most devastating hurricanes of recorded history struck the Central American coast, centering mostly upon the little
Be Salt & Light in the World
The Christian website Renew In Knowledge is starting a new series called Salt & Light – based on God’s provision, protection, and guidance in the life of His people.
Is it OK to question God?
Recently I was asked the following question. Do you think it is ok to question God? In several instances, sufferings in life have prompted questions
Missionary Orientation Program by Christian Missions In many Lands
MOP by CMML Missionary Orientation Program (MOP) is jointly sponsored by CMML and MSC Canada. It aims to prepare those who are considering missions or
What Christ Expects of His Shepherds and What the Church Needs its Shepherds to Do
Have you heard of Rick Rescorla? Rick Rescorla worked as the VP of security for Morgan Stanley, the prestigious investment firm. Prior to his employment
What is your life story like?
They say all great stories follow a common narrative path. It goes somewhat like this. First, the character plunged in deeper trouble. And toward the
Liberation From Guilt and Its Deviousness
Is there any person who has never felt the pangs of a guilty conscience? I dare say there is none and for that reason a
Spoon-fed Christianity
As parents of a toddler, both my wife and I put constant efforts to check what our child does – what to eat, when to
David and Mephibosheth; Typology from the Life of david
David and Mephibosheth We come to a third typological reflection of grand themes in salvation: Reconciliation. The backdrop is a settled but bloody civil war
Promises of God in the bible
“For He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my Helper and I
Not Being Lured Away
1 John Video Study Series Video (Abridged) Transcript Hello, this is Mark again. We are taking a look at the first epistle of John. We
The Ministry of suffering
“You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord– that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (Jas.
The Proposition & Overall Goal of 1 John
Video Series on 1 John by Mark Plaza Video Transcript Hello, this is Mark. It’s great to have you join us as we begin to
Abigail and David; Typology From the Life Of david
Abigail and David (This link will take you to the first part of the article in this series. There you can read an introduction to
The Floating Axe
“So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.” II Kings 6:6 NKJV “What goes up must
Typology from the Life of David (Part 1)
Introduction Typology as a subspecialty of Biblical hermeneutics has had definitions and parameters at both ends of the spectrum.[1] The Scriptures indicate the concept of foreshadowing
Wisdom of God Bundled
““Cut the baby in half! That way each of you can have part of him.” I Kings 3:25 CEV A sword was brought out
Friendship
I put a very high value on those I call friend, and feel that my friends have played a significant role in my growth as
King of Glory Hangeth on a Tree
“Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.” II Samuel 18:9
Creation: The first test of faith
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.“ The first test of faith starts in this verse of the Bible. None of us
A Bethlehemite’s Rules of Engagement
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you
Every Sunday, We Were There
Every Sunday, we were there. Those metal folding chairs with brown cushions. Sleek hymn books – black and red – with embossed lettering that I
Struck down, but not destroyed
The Christian life is filled with problems. They are inevitable and often come uninvited and unexpectedly. Recently I fell four times, thrice on the night
How to Witness Christ in the 21st Century
Each era presents with different opportunities and challenges in Witnessing Christ. Believers need to be gracious to make sufficient changes to successively make Christ known to the world without compromising the core message. A promising attitude to emulate is shown by the Apostles who were courageous and gain power and wisdom from God himself in sharing God’s love with the lost world.
My dear daddy
My dear daddy, A spiritual father, who can find?For his worth is far above gold. The heart of his wife and children trusts in him.
Wine and Tears: How Jesus Demonstrated Sharing joy and sorrow
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Rom. 12:15 ESV) It is extremely rare to find someone who consistently personifies the above-mentioned
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Under Your Wings, I Take Refuge
“I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.” Ruth 3:9 (NKJV) “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,
Who is victimizing you and how to get out of it?
With an active toddler, an overloaded mom, and an easy-going dad, things can get messy at home. On occasions when that happens, my wife and
What is gossip and how is it a threat to the church today?
When I think of gossip, sometimes one of those characters from a movie or book comes to mind. Like the one who runs around the
The Real Wonder Bread
“A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp” Judges 7:13(NIV) Gideon arrived secretly in the outskirts of Midianites’ camp with his
The Scarlet Cord of Hope
“And she tied the scarlet cord in the window” Joshua 2:21(NASB) The city of Jericho was securely shut up that none went out, and none
Gospel According to Moses
We are familiar with the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the first four books of the New Testament. The Gospel of
2,000,000,000 deaths and still rebellious
Two billion people dead. Shouldn’t that make anyone terrified and willing to repent? You would think so. As it turns out even seeing the death
God, Our Refuge and Fortress
“That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.” Deuteronomy 19:5 (NIV) The mission statement for the United States Department of
See Christ Lifted High
“Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.” Numbers 21:8 (NIV) What if you were taking your
Why would God allow a Pandemic?
We are speaking of a God who destroyed the living world by water during the time of Noah because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
Behold the Spotless Lamb of God
“Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.” (Leviticus 22:20 NIV) “Move to the back of the
On avoiding arguments
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish
The Call of Moses
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert,
God’s master plan of the church
(This article is developed through Pool Writing Program by Renew In Knowledge.) The Scripture says that through the church God’s wisdom is made known to
Claiming the Promises of God
The Bible contains many “exceedingly great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4), which provide the Christian with hope and encouragement in times of trial and
What parents and church leaders need to know to protect children from sexual abuse
I once went to a conference dealing with the topic of parenting. This particular conference drew an audience of about a thousand people. Two years
Eight ways to Take care of yourself
Take care of yourself. This was a topic that’s been on my mind for some time to write about. Also, these days it is a
Light in the darkness
‘Democracy dies in darkness.‘ This is the slogan of the acclaimed newspaper, The Washington Post. I don’t think even Jeff Bezos believes his media company
Do I need more evidence to believe in God?
The Bible makes it doubtlessly clear faith is the only way to salvation.
Agnostically oriented thinkers find it hard to come to terms with the “faith or belief” system of Biblical Christianity.
Dialogue Without Diatribe- How can we learn to disagree without being disagreeable?
I was recently speaking at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where I’d been asked to address the topic “Does Religion Poison Everything?” During
Is God Against My Freedom?
One of my favorite movies is Braveheart. Who could forget that stirring speech made by Mel Gibson, playing Scottish hero William Wallace, as he motivates
4 Principles for Life
Don’t expect people will treat you the way you would like All of us want others to treat us well. Indeed, we often do
Just why do people leave a church?
The Bible uses familial terms, such as father or mother or brother or sister, more than any other to describe its people. Families, real families, come with problems and differing levels of development. Kids do spill milk and babies have diapers that need to be changed. this is time for conscientious questioning by each one about their heart condition in the presence of the Great Physician’s private exam room. Have you lately asked Him His opinion about your version of “doing church?” Possibly, you are afraid to ask the question and hear His diagnosis.
Celebrate small moments
5th or 50th – What will you celebrate more? Big numbers get more attention – that’s the way we think. However, 50 years can’t be
How to deal with discouragement while doing good work
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered
The Church of Laodicea: The Church that Grew Too Comfortable
Our studies now bring us to the final message of Jesus to the seven churches. Of all Jesus’ comments to the churches, the one to
Jim Haesemeyer
Jim Haesemeyer is an elder at FreeWay Bible Chapel located in Lubbock, Texas. Jim received a BS and an MS degree from Texas Tech University,
The Church of Philadelphia: Lessons on Love
One may say, with unquestionable justification, that the central theme of the Bible is love, the most salient aspect of which is God’s love for
Is Social Media Taking Over our Lives?
More than any other aspect of modern technology, social media has impacted our daily lives. Take a moment to look around– you will notice that
Tips on Making your Resolutions and improving your faith life
A new year is on the horizon. If you are like me, you may be thinking about resolutions to be considered for the year. However,